Recommendation for spoke tension meter

[SirBikealot]

Hi guys,
maybe i'm blind (okay i have some thick glasses ) but i can't find any thread about spoke tension meters.
But i need one because my new wheel set finally settled and now some spokes need retentioning.
Are there any recommendations or is the park tool the only one that really works?

[Wet Noodle]

...or is the park tool the only one that really works?

Ehh? Just wondering about the phrasing. Park tool may have earned a good reputation with some of their tools, but in spoke tension meters, theirs is not really the gold-standard be-all end-all kind of thing (if anything, it's more on the lower end of the spectrum, kinda pricey for what it is, tbh, but park tool).

If you're talking about round spokes in large wheels, almost any type could give you somewhat repeatable readings. With thin bladed spokes or small wheels (little space between crossings or spoke ends), things get a little more complicated. Also, tension meters may need a little practice and a steady hand.

Personally, I only use thin bladed spokes and prefer the Brandt design (I have an older Wheel Fanatyk, but there are also those from that Polish guy) over the pliers style ones.

[courdacier]

they all work, but I don't think calibration is always right. if you measure a good wheel, whatever it reads is what you try to match w/new wheels.
having built a bunch of wheels now over the course of a year, you can just skip the tension meter altogether.
pick a good wheel you want to replicate and pluck a few spokes to check what they sound like.
get the wheel that needs truing and pluck each spoke on one side like you would with a guitar string - pick the highest pitch and tension up the other spokes that sound like they are more loose/lower pitch to match it.
Alternatively, don't worry about tension altogether and fix the spots that are out of true.
building wheels is "secretly easy (TM)"

[veloc_h]

good wheel builders (e.g. SON in Germany) use tensiometers. My mech in Switzerland checked every spoke, when one spoke was broken...
I use both: my hearing and the tensiometer for the final check. The tension depends on the brand/type/construction of the rim the type of spokes as well.
Edit: the cheap ztto tensiometers are not very solid, however the ones from ZTTO, which look like the DT Swiss Tensiometers, are supposed to be better. The DT Swiss are the best (Parktool: between). I've got a cheap Amazon (China)tensiometer, the values are reproducable, so I'm happy with it. Would recomment a bit of grease onto the joints of the tensiometer.

[ZacItaly15]

tensiometers are the last stuff you need to build a wheel, said by a wheelbuilding rookie...

My unaccurate ZTTO tensiometer is not a good meter, but works in comparison between two spokes

[Wet Noodle]

but works in comparison between two spokes

Which kinda is what matters most. As for absolute spoke tension (or force), landing in the right ballpark is usually just fine. Says another non-pro. Also: Sure, you CAN build wheels without tensiometer ... but with it, it gets easier to build good wheels reliably with less guesswork.

[Wet Noodle]

The DT Swiss are the best.

No. The low-measuring-force ones after the Jobst Brandt design would be superior (Wheel Fanatyk, Filip Kralyevski) - easier to handle and said to be much more accurate (not sure of the latter, tough, with (re)calibration always being an option).

[darkening]

You can use any cheap tension meter, if you can calibrate it. Most expensive tension meter that is not calibrated is worse than a cheapest calibrated tension meter.

You can make DIY stand to calibrate it on a particluar spoke. (some wood blocks and scale weight up to 150kg)

[Chiyou]

I assembled a calibration jig over the holidays, mostly using AliExpress parts and a few bits and bobs I had lying around. The design is based on various other designs that are floating around on the interwebs.



Frame:
2x 2020 aluminum extrusion 600mm (the length depends somewhat on the length of the scale and spoke; the image shows a ~280mm spoke)
2x 2020N aluminum extrusion 200mm (2020N (as opposed to regular 2020) has one solid side wall; I chose it for extra rigidity but plain 2020 probably would have worked as well)
4x corner brackets with T-nuts and screws

Center section, from left to right:
M8 threaded rod (I bought a 1m rod and chopped it into pieces)
M8 nut (I used a flanged nut but a non-flanged one should work just fine)
thrust bearing 8mm inner diameter, 22mm outer diameter
M8 cap nut
nipple + spoke
M8 'I-type' clevis end - for J-hook spokes; for straight-pull spokes you'd use a second cap nut
M8 rod
2x M8 clevis end (aka yoke end or Y-knuckle on AliExpress; attaches to the scale)
crane scale in the 150 to 200kg range; I chose the most compact model I was able to find
M8 rod
M8 nut (thumb nut in this case but a regular nut will do just fine)

Fabrication:
drill 2020N extrusions for M8 rod
drill cap nut so that a spoke nipple can fit through
grind short groove into the 'I-type' clevis end so that the spoke head can be slotted into it (as mentioned, for straight-pull spokes, use a second cap nut)
I also had to grind the 'Y-type' clevis ends slightly so that they fit into the scale without interference

Note: under tension, the J-hook spoke head will deform - in my experience, it'll remain in its groove securely but count on one sacrificial spoke for calibration. (I'm guessing straight-pull spokes don't have that problem.)

Sources:
2020(N) extrusions and brackets - Zhuhai store (cheap but very slow shipping) https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1100992109
thrust bearing - https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806942964649.html
'I-type' clevis end (M8 version) - https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832818258210.html
'Y-type' clevis end (M8 version) - https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255799845781219.html
crane scale (150kg version) - https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806675357153.html

Everything else I got locally.

Calibration:
You'll need two wrenches to put tension on the spoke, one to hold fast the cap nut and another to turn the left-most (flanged) nut. (Adding tension is a little fiddly but using a closed-end wrench for the flanged nut (or even a ratcheting wrench if you have one) makes things easier.)

Tension your spoke to a specific value (e.g. 70kgf), then check the reading on your tension meter and write it down. Repeat these steps for e.g. 80/90/100/110/120/130kgf and create yourself a tidy little table with kgf + tension meter readings. Check everything a few times.

Disclaimer: if you kill yourself using this jig, don't blame me. If you kill yourself using a wheel built with this jig, don't blame me.

Cost:
Roughly USD70 - I had a few pieces already so that helped.